Friday, May 18, 2012

Garden Time!

It's one of my favorite times of the year...when the sun begins to shine and the grass gets cut and when the garden gets cleaned out and replanted!

All tilled and ready to plant!

We decided to try a couple of new things this year and stick with a few tried and true favorites. Here's what we've got growing this year...

Yearlong Strawberries: These are actually the same plants as last year. Vinnie got to all of the berries last year before they even ripened but this year there are tons of new buds! More on the Vinnie problem later.

Zebra stripped Zucchini: I was attracted to these literally because they were stripped! We'll see how they turn out.

Red Potatoes and Yams: I had some beautiful yam vines last year but I started them way too late and the vines froze before producing anything.

Carrots: Last year I started my carrots from seed, this year I went with seedlings since my carrots never got thicker than a pencil. I tried a new variety of organic baby carrots.

Spinach: For whatever reason greens grow extremely well in our garden, the spinach last year, however, totally got burned...We are going to attempt to cover the garden this year. Hopefully that will help.

Swiss Chard: This is the same crop from last summer...it bolted in the last few weeks and is now turning to seed. It is still super tasty and I just read how to harvest the seed and re-sow them. I have been the most happy with this plant out of all of them. There is nothing I (or Vinnie) can do to kill it!

Snap Peas: My snap peas also got burned last year so hopefully covering them will do the trick this year. We did get a few peas before they croaked. The plants I got this year seem to be a little stronger than last years.

Herbs: My parsley, thyme and oregano all wintered very well! I am keeping them and might add a few other herbs along the way.

Onions: I had a few bulbs from last hear that suddenly took off this spring. We have enjoyed chives throughout the summer but I am hoping that the bulbs actually fill in this year.

Tomatoes and Peppers: Lincoln Elementary, where I work, is selling plants from the school garden this year so I am going to try out some of the tomatoes and peppers. I might also get some basil, cilantro and tomatillos...but we will see if I have enough space!

Admiring his work

So, the big goals this year are to create some shade during the full sunny afternoons and also to keep Vinnie, the hole digger-plant destroyer, out of the garden. We haven't come up with any good solutions yet. If you have any ideas send them our way!

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About This Blog

The Rat Race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit. Think of the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape while running around a maze or in a wheel - it expends a lot of effort, but ultimately achieves nothing meaningful.

We, James & Jessi Furlo, attempt to live our lives outside this rat race by being purposeful and meaningful, and celebrating those successes on this blog. There are many aspects to living life outside the rat race: Spiritually, socially, and financially. Also with our family, work, play and health. You'll find all of that here.

So yes, this is a personal blog and is full of various ideas and thoughts. It's also entertaining and inspirational on occasion. We're glad you decided to share in a piece of our success and story.